An idle mind may not necessarily be the devil’s workshop; to the contrary, too much stress on action could produce unforeseen outcomes, says a new study.

“Our research highlights how the pressures of society to be active may produce fairly unregulated behavior,” said Dolores Albarracín, a professor of psychology at Illinois University, who led the study.

Albarracín said the findings could help our understanding of how common words used in everyday life may influence conditions like attention deficit hyperactivity and bipolar disorders.